Lady in Red

I first started blogging out of frustration. Mostly at the fact that mass media portrays Latina women as these “fiery vixens.” According to media stereotypes, Latina women are so passionate they are always erratically yelling or being overtly sexy. And although we do encompass tremendous passion, we are vastly more complex than how we are portrayed on television and films. I have always associated the color red with that notion of what is expected as a woman; but more importantly what is expected as a Latina who wears red. If you wear red you are looking for attention. For the longest time it made me so uncomfortable that I almost always avoided wearing red altogether. It made me want to stay away from that type of stereotype. As I have grown more into myself, I have decided to reclaim things that have been taken from me. I can be demure, sexy, loud and understated. I can be a wild contradiction. Ridiculous stereotypes that someone might hold have no power on how I view myself. I can wear red and not want attention. I can be calm and still have fire.